Humanity has advanced to the point where mechs called Titatonostriders are used for combat in warfare. In a joint training exercise, soldiers from around the world have gathered on the Hawaiian island of Oahu to put their Titatonostriders to the test in combat exercises. Ao Isami from the Japanese Self-Defense Force and Lewis Smith from the United States Marine Corps are two participants that cross paths during a battle.
However, the training exercise is disrupted when an unknown alien enemy starts decimating the surrounding area. With Titatonostrider weaponry proving majorly ineffective, hope seems lost until a giant robot proclaiming himself as Bravern swoops in and tells Isami that he is to be his pilot.
Bravern made me realize how homoerotic so many mecha anime I watched actually were – and I don’t hate that. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Bang Brave Bang Bravern, head on down below.
Anime Like Bang Brave Bang Bravern
What Bang Bravern is Parodying
While you can fully enjoy Bravern all on its own, there are a few extra little treats for long-time Super Robot anime fans that make it a little more enjoyable.
If Bravern has created a thirst for more Super Robot anime, you will find that while it parodies the whole genre in and of itself, there are some specific references to the Brave series. This includes anime like:
- Brave Exkaiser (1990)
- The Brave Fighter of Sun Fightbird (1991)
- The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn (1992)
- The Brave Express Might Gaine (1993)
- Brave Police J-Decker (1994)
- The Brave of Gold Goldran (1995)
- Brave Command Dagwon (1996)
- The King of Braves GaoGaiGar (1997)
Of all of the above, Brave Exkaiser, Dagwon, and GaoGaiGar will probably be both the most enjoyable and easiest to find.
For Fans of Super Robot Parody
SSSS.Gridman
Amnesiac Yuta Hibiki one day encounters Hyper Agent Gridman inside an old computer. Gridman tells him that he needs to fulfill his mission.
While sorting out what that all means, a giant monster attacks his city. Yuta then discovers he can merge with Gridman to fight the monster, but once it is done, everyone’s memories reset and the dead are forgotten.
Similarities Between Bravern and Gridman
- Both series are modern Super Robot anime based off older Super Robot/Tokusatsu series
- Both series offer good modern animation and adhere to more modern anime sensibilities with characters and storytelling
- Big, passionate Super Robots, conflicted and complicated human pilots
Differences Between Bravern and Gridman
- While both are serious Super Robot stories at heart, Gridman has less frequent comical moments
- Gridman is fighting Kaiju, not other Super Robot aliens
- Gridman stays closer to the core concepts of the older series it is based on
Dai-Guard
After disappearing for 13 years, the deadly Heterodyne aliens resurface with a vengeance. In order to combat them, three office workers end up operating Dai-Guard, a robot that has long since been a big paperweight.
Can these salary men really save the world in such a junker?
Similarities Between Bravern and Daiguard
- Part comedy Super Robot parody, part actual Super Robot anime
- Better comedy than its actual plot
- Aliens are attacking Earth! Get in the Super Robot, Shinji!
- Grounded, likable characters despite the less grounded concept
Differences Between Bravern and Daiguard
- Daiguard is about office workers piloting a once-defunct Super Robot
- Comedy in Daiguard comes from the cost and disrepair of the robot rather than the homoeroticism in Bravern
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Simon and Kamina were living boring lives in their deep underground village when, on an excavation dig, they find a mysterious object that turns out to be the ignition key to an ancient war machine.
With their new weapon, the pair are able to fend off an attack from above, but upon catching a glimpse of the sky, they set off on an adventure that will take them out of this universe.
Similarities Between Bravern and Gurren Lagann
- Passionate mecha/Super Robot parody
- Also decent mecha/Super Robot action!
- Strong brotherly bond between the main characters
- Both feature using a giant robot to take back Earth from aliens
Differences Between Bravern and Gurren Lagann
- Gurren Lagann does action with more focus and a bigger animation budget
- The bond between the two male main characters in Gurren Lagann lacks the homoerotic tendencies that Bravern has
- Gurren Lagann has a grander scale plot
Space Battleship Tiramisu
After humanity has extended itself into the far reaches of space, war breaks out among the colonies. Aboard the mighty battleship Tiramisu, one genius pilot in the serenity that is his cockpit changes the tides of battle.
Similarities Between Bravern and Space Battleship Tiramisu
- Both series are mecha parody comedy
- Both series feature mech pilots that don’t really want to be mech pilots
- Both series are parodying older, beloved series
Differences Between Bravern and Space Battleship Tiramisu
- Space Battleship Tiramisu is parodying Space Battleship Yamato, but with more food and nudity
- Space Battleship Tiramisu actually has very little serious action to it, and even less plot
- Space Battleship Tiramisu is very clearly a comedy anime while Bravern is more ambiguous at times
Daimidaler: Prince vs. Penguin Empire
With the invasion of the alien Penguin Empire on earth, the organization Beauty Salon Prince was established to fight them.
This organization developed the Daimidaler ultimate weapon for the fight, and finally have chosen a pilot.
The chosen pilot, Koichi, is a high schooler mad about big boobs and high in Hi-Ero particles that can help the weapon fight.
Similarities Between Bravern and Daimidaler
- Comedic mecha parody anime
- Aliens are invading earth!
Differences Between Bravern and Daimidaler
- Daimidaler has better jokes than action
- Daimidaler is a big, big fan of ecchi comedy
For Fans of World-Saving Ragtag Misfits
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor
Ueki Tylor had his life planned out – join the military and land a safe, cushy desk job.
However, after wandering into a hostage situation and saving an admiral, suddenly he finds himself the captain of a space cruiser. Of course, his crew is the most rag-tag team of misfits in the universe, too.
Similarities Between Bravern and Irresponsible Captain Tylor
- Unwilling main characters put into positions they didn’t want
- The organization is functional, but filled with interesting personalities that threaten to make it dysfunctional
- Both series embrace the more comedic, parody side of mecha/sci-fi
Differences Between Bravern and Irresponsible Captain Tylor
- Titular main character Captain Tylor is a lovable scumbag compared to the unwilling, but upstanding Isami
- Irresponsible Captain Tylor is more manning a military space ship and less Super Robot like Bravern
- Bravern is comical in that it is trying to be serious, but being a bit strange with it. Irresponsible Captain Tylor is more obviously a comedy
Martian Successor Nadesico
Despite growing up on a healthy diet of mecha anime and living on Mars, Akito doesn’t want to fight. He wants to cook. However, when Jovian Lizards come to attack his colony, he finds himself mysteriously transported back to Earth.
There, he meets Yurika, a childhood friend and the captain of the space battleship Nadesico. She takes him on as a cook and backup pilot. While the ship is filled with seemly misfits and weirdos, they are all hand-picked, highly qualified experts, Akito included.
Similarities Between Bravern and Martian Successor Nadesico
- Both series feature unwilling mecha pilots and in-universe mecha anime fans
- Both series feature eccentric personalitied operations, but those personalities are also quite good at their jobs
- Both series excel at having comedy, but also pretty serious storytelling
Differences Between Bravern and Martian Successor Nadesico
- The crew in Nadesico is as adept as the military in Bravern, but way more eccentric for comedy
- Nadesico’s main character has the unwillignness to pilot a mecha like Isami, but the mecha fanboyism of Smith
For Fans of I Want to Be a Hero – But It Doesn’t Go Well
Samurai Flamenco
Fueled by hero tales, the legend of his own grandfather, and an enduring sense of justice, the superstar model Masayoshi Hazama turns into the Samurai Flamenco by night.
Featuring a cheesy handmade costume, he tries to foil crime with his nonexistent fighting skills.
Similarities Between Bravern and Samurai Flamenco
- Both series are parodying beloved otaku entertainment (Super Robot, Tokusatsu heroes)
- Both series are comedic, but also serious
- The main character in Samurai Flamenco is essentially Smith with less military training and aptitude
Differences Between Bravern and Samurai Flamenco
- Samurai Flamenco is comedy parody right up until it isn’t and the show suddenly becomes quite serious
- Samurai Flamenco is parodying Tokusatsu series rather than Super Robots
Tiger and Bunny
In Stern Bild City, there exist those with NEXT powers who can use them for good or evil. A TV channel called Hero TV showcases heroes as they chase down evildoers and earn Hero Points.
Enter, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, or “Wild Tiger,” a veteran hero, but his performance has been on the downswing. In order to do better, he pairs up with a new hero, Barnaby Brooks Jr., or “Bunny,” but they mix about as well as oil and water.
Similarities Between Bravern and Tiger and Bunny
- Both series have dual main character stories
- Both main characters have opposite personalities and approaches to heroism
- Both offer new takes on old anime tropes (mecha, Super Robots, heroes)
Differences Between Bravern and Tiger and Bunny
- Tiger and Bunny are about super heroes in exosuits fighting crime
- Tiger and Bunny is less about saving the world and often more about the personal character stories that go on alongside them doing their job
- Tiger and Bunny is less of a parody and features less comedy
The Marginal Service
After his history of reckless behavior led to his partners’ death, Brian Nightraider is dismissed from the police force. In his self-pitying slump, he is invited to join the Marginal Service, a secret unit of the United Nations tasked with handing Borderlanders from another world in the human world.
While many Borderlanders live peacefully, a terrorist organization of Borderlanders has started a drug trafficking ring and it is up to the Marginal Service to take them down.
Similarities Between Bravern and Marginal Service
- Both series are about a group of somewhat quirky individuals fighting otherworlders
- Both series enjoy references, parody, and comedy
- Both series offer both serious action and sillier comedy
- Bit of a homoerotic bromance going on at several points
Differences Between Bravern and Marginal Service
- Marginal Service is a lot more interested in being cheeky with its references than being serious with its plot
- Marginal Service and its cast of characters lack the more realistic depth that the characters in Bravern offer
- Marginal Service is about fighting supernatural beings from another world who cause problems rather than aliens like in Bravern
Do you have more anime recommendations like Bang Brave Bang Bravern? Let fans know in the comments section below.